# Could Sound Make You Levitate? Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsqLO7WHc-w Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/OsqLO7WHc-w Generated: 2026-01-08T00:34:31.38+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview A person can theoretically swim faster than a shark using specialized acoustic levitation technology that manipulates the air pressure around the swimmer, though the current experimental setup requires the person to wear a wetsuit to protect against the high sound intensity necessary for levitation. **Key Points:** - A person could potentially swim faster than a shark by using acoustic levitation to create a low-resistance environment, though current technology is not yet practical for this application. - The current acoustic levitator device uses 72 small transducers to create focused sound waves, generating air pressure waves that can levitate lightweight objects like Styrofoam beads. - The sound frequency required for levitation is around 22,000 Hz (ultrasonic), which is too high for most adults to hear, though young children might perceive it. - The intensity needed for this levitation can reach 120 decibels, which is loud enough to cause organ and joint damage if not mitigated, such as by wearing a wetsuit. - Professor Hannah Fry's colleague, Matthew Nethercott, developed the device, which works by creating a pressure gradient around an object, effectively creating a pocket of lower air pressure. - The experiment demonstrated that the device can successfully levitate small polystyrene beads (0.5mm) and even manipulate liquid drops. - The fastest shark, the Mako, swims at about 31 to 36 miles per hour (or 1.34 to 1.6 meters per second). ![Screenshot at 00:23: Michael Stevens demonstrates how a small bead of Styrofoam or polystyrene can be levitated using the acoustic levitator device by focusing sound waves to create a pressure gradient.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OsqLO7WHc-w/00-00-23.jpg) **Context:** The video features a discussion between Michael Stevens and Professor Hannah Fry about the theoretical possibility of using acoustic levitation to help a human swim faster than a shark. The conversation centers on the physics of acoustic levitation, which involves creating standing sound waves with high intensity to generate pressure pockets that can counteract gravity or other forces. They discuss a specific experimental device built by Professor Fry's colleague, Matthew Nethercott, which uses ultrasonic frequencies to levitate small objects. ## Detailed Analysis Michael Stevens and Professor Hannah Fry discuss whether a human could ever swim faster than a shark using acoustic levitation. Professor Fry confirms that the principle exists, explaining that acoustic levitators work by generating sound waves that create areas of high and low pressure. In the case of levitating an object, the sound waves create a pressure difference that pushes the object into a low-pressure zone, effectively counteracting gravity or drag. The device demonstrated uses 72 small, upward and downward pointing transducers operating at 22,000 Hz (ultrasonic range) to levitate small polystyrene beads, which are about the size of BBs. The intensity required is high, around 120 decibels, which could cause tissue damage, suggesting a person would need protection like a wetsuit. The concept is also being explored for medical applications, such as targeted drug delivery by manipulating micro-bubbles containing medicine inside the body, or non-invasively breaking up kidney stones. Michael notes that the fastest shark, the Mako, swims at about 31 to 36 miles per hour (1.34 to 1.6 meters per second), making the feat challenging. Hannah admits that while the technology is fascinating, she is not sensitive enough to hear the sound, although young children might. She concludes that while levitation is possible, out-swimming a shark would require a vastly more powerful and sustained application of this technology. ### Acoustic Levitation Demonstration - Michael demonstrates levitating a tiny polystyrene bead (00:23) using a device with 72 transducers emitting sound waves at 22kHz (00:54, 01:02). ### Medical Applications Discussed - Hannah mentions using acoustic levitation for targeted drug delivery via micro-bubbles and breaking up kidney stones (1:55, 2:25, 10:52). ### Shark Speed Comparison - Michael references the Greenland shark swimming slowly (1 mph or 0.34 m/s) and the Mako shark swimming up to 36 mph (17:18, 22:07). ### The Experiment's Intensity - The sound required is 120 decibels, which Hannah notes is loud enough to cause organ and joint damage without protection like a wetsuit (8:47). ### Question and Conclusion - Neil asks if a person could swim faster than a shark (21:45), and Hannah implies that while the physics is sound, the required power/precision for a human is currently beyond reach (23:38, 24:20). ![Screenshot at 00:01: Michael Stevens and Professor Hannah Fry begin their discussion about levitation technology.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OsqLO7WHc-w/00-00-01.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:24: Michael Stevens holds up his fingers to illustrate the tiny size of the Styrofoam bead being levitated by the acoustic device.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OsqLO7WHc-w/00-00-24.jpg) ![Screenshot at 02:47: The acoustic levitator device is shown up close, a 3D-printed tower with multiple small speakers, next to a control box and a small bowl.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OsqLO7WHc-w/00-02-47.jpg) ![Screenshot at 04:35: A transition screen appears, sponsored by Cancer Research UK, before the hosts change settings.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OsqLO7WHc-w/00-04-35.jpg) ![Screenshot at 21:44: Michael Stevens shows a page from a notebook with three dots marked in a triangle shape, illustrating a concept for a future experiment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OsqLO7WHc-w/00-21-44.jpg)